


Operation: Captain Friendship

by moeblobmegane



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, NagiGou are evil twins from different mothers, SouRin are super bffs, kinda pre-slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 08:52:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/pseuds/moeblobmegane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gou personally thinks it’s a perfect plan. Nagisa cannot stop <i>cackling</i>. And Rin is just very, very worried for Makoto’s <s>virtue</s> well-being.</p><p>or In which NagiGou tries to set-up the new captain of the Samezuka Swimming Club with Iwatobi's, and is forced to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Operation: Captain Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Repost from tumblr. (Follow me for more!)
> 
> Works on the assumption that Sousuke transfers on his 3rd year to Samezuka and becomes the Swim Team Captain.  
> I posted this long ago, when I got my SouMako Would Be So Cute Ohmygod Phase II. (My first phase was during the 1st season, after reading the novel.)

"You… you want to set Makoto and Sousuke up?" Rin had his eyebrows furrowed, confusion clear in his expression and the tone of his voice. He looked like he would object. "That doesn’t make any sense."

Gou just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She glanced at Nagisa, quietly urging him to explain. He nodded happily. “It does!” He said, smiling widely. “One, it helps the friendship between our Swim Clubs.” He raised one finger. “Two, it helps Mako-chan realize that he’s a  _great_ captain.” Another finger. “Three, it helps Sou-chan relax and makes him stop frowning before he gets wrinkles!” He brandished the three fingers with a triumphant grin.

Rin looked unimpressed. He actually looked pretty annoyed. Annoyed, and murderous. “That does not support your argument. They don’t have to be set-up to do that.” He glared at Nagisa. “You have the worst ideas.” He narrowed his eyes some more, as if that would vaporize the younger boy into ashes. “Don’t bring Makoto into this.”

Nagisa pouted, stepping forward to cling on to Rin’s arm defiantly. “It’s the perfect plan and you know it!” He insisted. “I have the  _best_ ideas! It was my idea to make a Swim Club!”

Hearing that, Rin’s expression softened. Just a bit. “You don’t have any right to play with people’s hearts.”

The two first years looked horrified at that comment. “We’re not playing with anyone’s hearts!” They said in an eerily synchronous way. Do they practice that or something? They’re practically twins. “We thought about it a lot and this is the perfect solution!” Gou explained with a righteous tone on. “We did our best!” Nagisa added.

"Fine." Rin just shrugged it off, then. He can never win against this tag team anyway. Never. He knew that even before they started talking. (Gou and Nagisa being best friends is the worst thing to ever happen in Rin’s life.)  "I’ll ask him when he’s free."

"Yay!"

—-

It’s not like Makoto doesn’t believe Rei and Nagisa when they say that he’s a capable captain. He does appreciate their compliments. He’s just… he  _knows_ himself. He understands that he’s not exactly the type of person to be a captain. Yeah, he might be good at taking care of people, but it’s a Sports Club. Being kind and forgiving isn’t exactly the type of compliments Captains get.

Mikoshiba was the fastest swimmer in Samezuka, and he was stern and made the hard choices. He was firm with his decisions. He didn’t let anyone laze around or do anything unseemly.

Makoto’s indecisive. And he loves his teammates way too much to scold them about things their personalities entail. He can’t force Haruka to teach the first years anything but free. He can’t tell him to get out of the pool immediately either. Haruka has his own pace. He can’t force Nagisa to be quieter or to stop his pranks. They’re never hurtful anyway. Nagisa is Nagisa. He just loves to make people laugh. He can’t force Rei to stop including different theories in their swim club meetings. They haven’t worked yet, but maybe someday, they will. Rei is working hard, after all.

So when Nagisa and Rei says “You’re the best captain we could ever ask for”, it’s not really Makoto’s fault that he feels a bit doubtful of that.

Sousuke, the new Samezuka captain, is so much better than him.

Makoto can’t possibly be on that level.

—-

It’s not that Sousuke doesn’t trust his team. He does. Of course, he does. They’re the best school for swimming in the whole prefecture. He knows how great they are. He  _knows_ how competent they can be.

But Rin pulled that stunt last year and it embarrassed the hell out of Samezuka’s relay team. Sousuke can’t possibly let his guard down.

"It was handled by Cap- by Mikoshiba-senpai." Nitori explained frantically for the nth time this week, arms flailing at the side as he looked up at Sousuke from where he was sitting at the side of the pool. "You have to forgive Matsuoka-senpai! It wasn’t his fault!"

Sousuke rolled his eyes and sat down beside his underclassman.  _Rin, you have completely captured this poor guy’s heart,_ he thought sourly to himself. “There’s nothing to forgive.” He calmly explained. “It was Mikoshiba-senpai’s call at that time. It has nothing to do with me.”

"But Matsuoka-senpai thinks you’re angry, doesn’t he?" Nitori asked with wide, innocent eyes.

Gah, those are scary eyes. What a pure boy. It’s blinding, those shiny eyes. “He doesn’t.” Sousuke almost huffs out a laugh. “He’s the one who’s angry.”

Nitori blinked in confusion. “Eh? Why would he be angry?”

"I increased his training so now he can’t visit Iwatobi as much as he does." He said without any sign of remorse. It’s just a countermeasure until he grasps exactly what relationship Rin has with those guys. "He’s sulking, even though he won’t admit it. It’s obvious."

"That’s…" Nitori frowned and looked down, as if he was about to fight for his senpai’s rights any moment now. "Why…"

Sousuke preemptively raised a hand to stop him. “It’s the best course of action right now. If we force him to stay with us, he’ll have to forge bonds that will make the relay team so much stronger.” He sighed. “It makes me look like a bad guy, but someone’s got to do the job. It’ll be better when we’ve bonded as a team.”

Nitori’s smile as he looked up was soft and gentle. “You’re doing great.”

"I hope so." At the back of his mind, the image of a certain Iwatobi Captain continued to bother him. The smile on Rin’s face then… was something Sousuke hasn’t seen in their practices yet.

Makoto might be a better captain than him, after all.

—-

"Are you free this weekend?" Rin asked tentatively, the calm in his voice sounding forced. He looked like he just bit a lemon. "I- we-"

"You’re not asking me for a date, are you?" Sousuke asked, faking an over-the-top disgusted expression. "Because you’re really not my type. You’re like a brother to me." His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion though, despite the joking tone.

Rin gaped at him. “What?” He barked out a surprised laugh. “Of course not! You’re not my type either, stupid.” He visibly relaxed, but his shoulders were still tense. “Gou wanted to know if you could meet up with their captain…” The end of the sentence was almost a whisper, as if he really didn’t want Sousuke to hear.

Sousuke’s frown deepened, forehead creasing. “Tachibana…?”

"Yeah." Rin looked guilty. And shifty, like he was hiding some dirty secret.

"…okay." Sousuke nodded after a whole minute of staring at Rin’s expression. Rin  _was_ hiding something, but he would never put Sousuke in danger. That’s for sure.

—-

This might not be  _danger_ , per se, but it was close. This does not look like a meeting. Nothing in this situation looks like a meeting between two swim club captains. It’s… It’s…

They’re in an actual couples’ cafe.

A  _couples’ cafe_.

Sousuke glared at the plate in front of him and the stupid little hearts on the corner of it. “I- Rin didn’t-” 10 laps. No, 100. Rin deserves 100 laps around the field. And a ban from petting cats. Sousuke would make sure Rin lives through hell tomorrow.

"Me too." Makoto admitted, laughing awkwardly as he took the menu and looked at it. He was quite possibly just using the menu as an excuse not to look up. His face was completely red. "Gou-chan said we’ll meet to talk about the practice session."

"Where did they even get the money to reserve a table here?" Sousuke growled lowly, anger rising. He has a training regime to make and a billion other things to prepare. Competitions were drawing closer.

Makoto looked up then, studying his face quietly. “I’m sorry.” He apologized sincerely. “They pulled you into this…”

Sousuke’s anger melted just like that. He’s not really used to people just backing down that easily and apologizing. It’s not even really Makoto’s fault. “It’s not your fault.”

"Uh…" Makoto looked down and fidgeted on the menu. "I think this is their way of telling me to learn from you, on how good at being a captain you are."

That… doesn’t make sense. “You’re a good captain.” Sousuke said, confusion clear in his tone. “You know the members, what they need and what they’re capable of. You’re better than I am. I’m new to the team and yet I’m captain…” He didn’t really like how pathetic he sounded by the end of that sentence, so he added “I’m slowly understanding the members, so I’m still improving too.”

Makoto offered a weak smile towards him. “But you make good decisions and you’re not afraid to lay down the rules properly.”

"People would call that kind of thing as dictatorship, you know." Sousuke knew the bitterness was creeping into his tone. He can’t help it. He has so many people in his Swim Club; dissent was always a constant companion. "You’re the kind of guy who would lead people gently, hold them by the hand and such."

"People would call that being soft," Makoto countered, smiling properly now. "And, come on," He urged with new-found determination. "You’re not a dictator. You just said you’re trying to understand your members slowly."

Sousuke laughed this time. It was the first time Makoto saw his expression get cleared off of frustration or anger. His laughter had a lower timbre than Rin’s, but it had the same quality that made you want to smile back. “You’ve got a point there.” He conceded. “But you’ve got to accept too, that you’re a great captain. You’re not soft. I heard you scolded Rin properly last year too.”

Makoto vaguely remembered telling Rin off, saying ‘Think about what Haru-chan really wants. He doesn’t care about winning.’ with a serious expression. It was one of his few captain-like moments… and Rin wasn’t even his member. “So you’ve heard about that, huh…” He felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

"Rin thinks highly of you." Sousuke said, looking down at the menu this time. "It kinda makes me jealous, to be honest."

"Eh?" Makoto blinked in surprise. "But we’re not-"

Sousuke laughed again. “I _know_.” He said while still chuckling. “I just meant you were able to scold him properly. You have that ability. I’m- I don’t really have… that. We read each other too well, that sometimes we just don’t talk at all.”

Makoto nodded in understanding. “I’m the same with Haru.” He confessed. “I know what he’s thinking, so I can’t scold him properly. And he reads me too well.”

"Ah, we’re the same." Sousuke had an easy-going smile that looked good on his manly face.

Before any of the two could start another conversation, the waitress arrived to get their order.

—-

"What do you think?" Nagisa asked, looking at the two from behind his menu. "Is it going well?"

"I think so." Gou nodded, eyes intent on the pair. "Sou-chan is smiling and his eyebrows aren’t doing  _the thing_ anymore.”

Nagisa giggled. “ _The thing.”_ He scrunched his nose and furrowed his eyebrows in a poor imitation of the Sousuke-Eyebrows-of-Doom.

"You’re both grade-schoolers." Rin complained, peeking from the divider at their side. "I can’t believe I agreed to come here with you."

"Me too." Rei said, frowning at Nagisa with disdain. "I thought we were going on a date."

Nagisa batted his eyelashes at Rei, then. “This is an  _adventure double date._ " He explained.

Rin groaned. “Gou is my  _sister_.” He complained. “With how you’re acting, you look like you’re on a date with her. And I’m stuck with this speedo glasses.”

"Rin-san," Rei said with a serious tone. "It’s not their fault no one wants to date you."

Rin’s eyes widened dramatically. “I-! That’s  _not_ true!”

"SSHHH!" Nagisa and Gou both slapped a hand on their mouths. "You’re gonna reveal our hiding place."

—-

"Did you hear that?" Makoto asked, moving to look  back to where he definitely heard Rin’s voice.

"Don’t look." Sousuke sighed out with that put-off tone of his. "I expected this much."

"From Rin-chan?" Makoto asked, chuckling at the incredulity of it all.

"He’s worried about you." Sousuke shrugged.

"And not about you?"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. “Nah,” He said. “We both know not to worry too much about each other.” Another shrug. “We’re just gonna fight about it.”

"Ah," Makoto smiled. "That’s the opposite of me and Haru."

"You do look like you worry a lot." Sousuke agreed, nodding sagely.

Makoto blinked. “But you’re the one with the… the uh,”

"The permanent crinkle on my forehead?" Sousuke asked with a playful expression. "That only happened because Rin is a troublemaker. Nanase looks like he’s quiet."

"That’s…" Makoto looked away, scratching his cheek with a finger. "That’s not entirely true." He leaned forward, as if sharing a secret. "He… he strips down whenever he sees a big container of water."

Sousuke stared at him in disbelief. “That… must be troublesome.” He said belatedly, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah." Makoto just shrugged it off. "I’m used to it."

"I have a new image of you now. As expected, Tachibana-san is really great."

—-

"We should leave them to it." Gou decided after a a few more minutes of watching. "It’s going well."

Rin stared hard at the pair before sighing. “It’s not a date, thank god.”

Nagisa giggled to himself. “Not  _yet._ " He whispered to Rei who just smirked as well. The evil is rubbing off on him.

—-

"They’re leaving." Sousuke whispered urgently, leaning forward. "Should we do something?"

Makoto wasn’t sure what that meant. “Something?”

"As payback." He said. "Like…" He picked a small piece of garlic bread from his plate and put it in front of Makoto’s face. "Aahh~"

At first, he looked surprised and unsure. But then, he smiled as well and nodded. “Aahhh” He bit the bread and ate it with an exaggerated happy sound. “Thank you, Yamazaki-kun!” He said, eyes twinkling with that mischievous glint Sousuke has never seen before.

—-

“ _Ohgod_ ,” Rin groaned, hiding his face with both hands. “Please tell me this is a dream.”

"Awww…" Gou cooed. "It worked." Nagisa nodded happily and Rei smirked smugly.

Rin just strode towards the exit without looking back. “I am  _never_ going to listen to you guys again.” He said, sounding betrayed. After a while, when they were outside already, he looked back at the window of the cafe and watched Sousuke’s expression. “He does look relaxed now, though.” He noted softly.

"Right?" Nagisa exclaimed. "Sou-chan’s heart melted."

"No one can stay tough in front of Makoto-senpai, after all." Rei said, throwing a knowing look at Rin.

"Yeah," Rin laughed. "Makoto’s got it all handled." A _nd Sousuke would be good for him too, definitely._


End file.
